IPFW in the News, March 17-21, 2014

IPFW mentioned:IPFW's men's basketball players went to bed Wednesday night thinking about their upcoming trip to play at Ohio University in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament. They woke up today to a different destination. Around 1:30 a.m. today, the CIT changed the flexible tourney match-ups and IPFW will now play Virginia Military Institute at 1 p.m. Saturday in Lexington, Va.

IPFW mentioned:Three Rivers Art Center for Kids (TRACK) and IPFW Office of Diversity and Multicultural Affairs are planning a community event for Women's History Month, “An Evening of Cultural Expression.” The evening includes speakers, live music, dance and theater. It's free and open to the public with refreshments. The event is 7-9 p.m. March 27 in the International Ballroom in the Walb Union at IPFW, 2101 Coliseum Blvd. E.

IPFW mentioned:Is it spring yet? I don't know about you, but I am ready to skip spring altogether for a summer vacation at the beach. And even though it's only mid-March, I got a little taste of that at the Area Dinner Theatre production of Dixie Swim Club, making its Fort Wayne debut and running through March 29. Susan Domer plays Vernadette Simms. Every time we meet her, she has anew injury or story about her run-down house and deadbeat family.

IPFW mentioned:Its hard to believe that an actress as versatile and accomplished as Susan Domer once had a hard time even getting cast in a show at all. But over time and with an abundance of persistence, flexibility, creativity, and self-reliance, she eventually found her niche. She brought her writing skills with her to IPFW, where she was the feature editor of The Communicator. "An audition notice came across my desk for Night of January 16th at Area Dinner Theatre," she says, At the end of the day she started to drive home, but she jokes, "the car just sort of drove itself [to Arena]."

IPFW mentioned: South Dakota State endured a solid season in the Summit League this year, registering a 10-4 record in the conference and earning a trip to the semifinal round of the league tournament. The Jackrabbits were defeated in the semifinals of the Summit League tourney by IUPU-Fort Wayne, 64-60. Old Dominion had a mixed season, going on win streaks of four games in a row on two separate occasions, but lost six straight in between those win streaks. The Monarchs were bounced from the Conference USA Tournament in the quarterfinal round by Middle Tennessee, 62-48.

IPFW mentioned:The University of Akron men’s basketball team got into a shootout with Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne in the opening game of the CollegeInsider.com Tournament on Wednesday night in Fort Wayne, Ind., and didn’t have enough ammunition. Playing their 1,000th game in team history, the Zips lost to the Mastodons 97-91 in a matchup where defense was in short supply. UA’s (21-13) season ended on an offensive rebound with about 2:48 left to go. At that moment it appeared the Zips knew it was over.

IPFW mentioned:In a 2013 comedy special, Louis C.K. provides a provocative contrast of good thoughts and bad thoughts he calls “Of course . . . But maybe” (Ed.: video contains content some readers may find offensive). His first example: “Of course” we should protect children with nut allergies by segregating their food. Of course we should. “But maybe” if you touch a nut and it kills you, you’re supposed to die. As with the rest of us, Louis C.K. wants the good thoughts to win out, he wants children with nut allergies to be protected. But maybe our current policies risk these children’s lives. - Article written by IPFW associate professor and medical ethicist Abraham Schwab

IPFW mentioned:We love basketball. … My rant is why doesn't IPFW join a better league? They already play Big Ten teams. We could compete in the MAC. It would be great to see a full house at (Memorial Coliseum) when we play.

The (IPFW) Dons are the new Gonzaga. Now if we can only get some local talent to stay home and play (basketball), we can win a spot in the NCAAs every year. Do you want to ride the bench at a major or be a local legend in your hometown?

IPFW mentioned:Collaboration between the local Indian community and IPFW brings top entertainers in India to perform at IPFW. “We have been fortunate enough to bring very popular, very renowned artists to the community,” said Dr. R. Prasad Mantravadi, a member of Shruti Fort Wayne Indian Cultural Society, a nonprofit Indian community group that has partnered with IPFW to hold the events.

IPFW mentioned:It could be a case of postseason giddiness for one team and tournament apathy for another if the University of Akron men’s basketball team allows it. The Zips left Akron on Tuesday to make the trip to Fort Wayne, Ind., to play the Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne Mastodons in the opening round of the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament, the Mastodons’ (24-10) first postseason appearance and UA’s first time playing in the CIT. IPFW comes off a regular season in which it almost won the Summit League.

IPFW mentioned:Five IPFW business majors and their professor will spend a week in June at a ski resort in Jackson Hole, Wyo., to finish a marketing project that will be presented to the owner, the marketing department and board of directors. The project is actually a class requirement for a marketing research course taught by professor Rob Palevich, which will be expanded into a major marketing push for Jackson Hole Mountain Resort to attract visitors. Jackson Hole encompasses the town of Jackson, Teton Village and Grand Teton National Park, according to its website.

IPFW mentioned:For the second time in school history, the IPFW women's basketball team has been selected as one of 16 teams to participate in the Women's Basketball Invitational, and will play UIC at 8 p.m. (EDT) on March 19 in Chicago. IPFW is one of only two Division I schools in the state of Indiana to have both its men’s and women’s teams playing in the postseason. IPFW enters the postseason with a 15-14 record after finishing the regular season third in the Summit League, but fell in the first round of the Summit League tournament. Earlier this season the Mastodons knocked off then ranked No. 18/21 Michigan State, their first win over a ranked team in the Division I era. The Mastodons also defeated Detroit, who won the 2013 WBI Championship over McNeese State. This will be the second time that IPFW will play in the WBI, the 'Dons also made an appearance in 2011, falling to Cleveland State 73-62 in the first round.

IPFW mentioned:Eastern Illinois is now to play host to IPFW in a three-game weekend series in a change to its baseball schedule. The Panthers had been scheduled to play four games in a tournament at Illinois also including Xavier. Instead, IPFW is coming to Coaches Stadium to face EIU at 3 p.m. Friday and 1 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. The Panthers have a 3 p.m. Tuesday non-conference game at Southern Illinois in Carbondale.

IPFW mentioned:Winter Springs alum Luis Jacobo and Clermont East Ridge grad Steve Forbes earned All-Summit League men’s basketball honors for an Indiana Purdue Fort Wayne University team that has a program-record 24 wins going into a Wednesday home game in the 32-team CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament. The Mastodons host Akron (21-12). Jacobo, a 6-foot-5 senior, leads IPFW in scoring (14.6 ppg) and 3-point shots made (69) and was a first-team pick. Forbes, a second team pick, is a 6-9 junior center averaging 12.1 points and 5.1 rebounds with a team-best 20 blocked shots.

IPFW mentioned:We’ve visited Cary Shafer’s Fort Wayne studio often over the years, this visit in 2002 found him carving a gorgeous, massive limestone mantelpiece for a client. Shafer is one of this country’s premier sculptors and the Southside grad has taken his skills many places, including a stint working on Washington, DC’s National Cathedral. Our most recent visit to Shafer’s studio, however, found something unexpected. Cary Shafer has branched out, now fabricating artworks of steel instead of stone…working on two bicycle racks, one called ‘Unicycle’, the other ‘Curiosity’…that will soon join 48 others on the streets of Fort Wayne as a gift from IPFW, celebrating the university’s 50th anniversary.

IPFW mentioned:Applied Leadership Series of IPFW will be 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. March 19-21 at the IPFW Alumni Center. Keynote speaker will be Keith E. Busse, cofounder and chairman of Steel Dynamics. A reception will be held at 4:30-6 p.m. March 19. Registration for the 2014 series is complete. Cost was $1,250 per person. Some discounts were available. Anyone interested in learning about attending the 2015 program should call 260-399-1675.

IPFW mentioned:Here we are, brackets in hand and March Madness about to fill our flat screens, and the state of Indiana has nothing. No Indiana University, no Purdue, no Butler, no Notre Dame and no (but oh-so-close) IPFW in the field of 68. What's an Indiana native to do?

IPFW mentioned:The University of Akron men’s basketball team will hit the road to play in the CollegeInsiders.com Postseason Tournament on Wednesday against the Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne Mastodons. The Zips (21-12) will play in the postseason for the seventh consecutive year, but this is their first in the CIT. The Zips lost in the semifinals of the Mid-American Conference Tournament to Western Michigan University on Friday.

IPFW mentioned:More than 350 people came out to support the Muscular Dystrophy Association during the MDA Muscle Walk to help pay tribute to, and raise funds for, children and adults affected by MDA in the Northeast Indiana area. The walk was held Sunday afternoon at the IPFW athletic fieldhouse. Organizers say by supporting the MDA Muscle Walk event, people can make an immediate difference in the lives of families served by the association.

IPFW mentioned:The IPFW men's volleyball team bounced back from Tuesday's loss at Ball State with a 25-11, 25-22, 25-15 win over Lees-McRae at Gates Sports Center on Friday night. The No. 12-ranked Volleydons, 14-4, were led by 10 kills, seven digs and four aces from senior Eddie Rivera. Lees-McRae is 12-8. The win improves IPFW to 14-4 on the season, the third-best 18-match start to a season in school history, behind only the 15-3 records that the 1998 and 1999 teams put together.

IPFW mentioned:IPFW is hosting the fourth annual International Youth Exchange Expo today, where high school students from eight counties in northeast Indiana are invited to learn about opportunities such as international exchange programs and community based scholarships. The Expo is a collaborative effort between Fort Wayne's two-Rotary clubs, IPFW's Office of International Education, the Division of Continuing Studies, the David Hefner International Fund, the Waterfield Foundation, Fort Wayne Metals, and Franklin Electric.

IPFW mentioned:For the first time in a decade, Auburn softball recorded not one, but two no-hitters in one night. Sophomore pitchers Marcy Harper and Lexi Davis each pitched a no-hitter Friday night at Jane B. Moore Field, helping the Tigers record a 9-0 win over Radford in five innings and a 10-0 win over IPFW, also in five innings, at the War Eagle Classic. “I thought both of them pitched magnificent,” Auburn head coach Clint Myers said. “They controlled the zone and they made pitches when they had to. Those are things we preach all the time. Attack and let the defense work for you and they did that.”

IPFW mentioned:A bike art project involving people with disabilities sent creativity rolling and left program coordinators pedaling to keep up. Over the past eight weeks, clients of agencies working with people with physical and mental disabilities envisioned and then used parts of old bikes to create bike-related art. The bike art will be attached for the day May 17 to public art bike racks being installed around the community as part of IPFW's Sculpture with Purpose project. Planners hope the bike art helps people recognize the sculptures are functioning bike racks.The IPFW project, which will be presented officially to the community May 17, celebrates the university's 50th anniversary.

IPFW mentioned:Mastodons: IPFW men’s basketball team comes oh-so-close to the Big Dance, losing NCAA automatic berth in 60-57 loss to North Dakota State. IPFW had its best record since joining Division One.

IPFW mentioned:It’s official: Basketball season is not yet over in the Gates Center. According to the university, the IPFW men (24-10) will play host to a first-round game of the CollegeInsider.com tournament at 7 p.m. Wednesday. Their opponent will likely be set late Sunday or Monday. If IPFW is invited to the NIT, the Mastodons will accept.

IPFW mentioned:Ambulance passengers on their way to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital soon will have a chance to benefit from a device invented in Fort Wayne that does a better job of controlling traffic signals and helps avert collisions between emergency vehicles. The Collision Control Communications device is called the Eliminator. It was invented by Dave Gross, who founded Collision Control to save lives lost to emergency-vehicle collisions and to slowed emergency response times caused by traffic congestion.

IPFW mentioned:IPFW will start off the opening of its Sculpture with Purpose bicycle racks around town on May 17 with what university officials hope will become a new community festival — Kickstart. The event will be held in conjunction with the Fort4Fitness Spring Cycle event, Visit Fort Wayne's 65th anniversary open house, and Young Leaders of Northeast Indiana opening the Barr Street Market for the season. “The whole downtown will be alive with things,” said Irene Walters, the university's executive director of university relations and communications.

IPFW mentioned:The IPFW men’s volleyball team hit .429 for the match and served up 11 aces in running away from the Lees-McRae Bobcats in a sweep on Friday evening (25-11, 25-22, 25-15). The win improves IPFW to 14-4 on the season, the third-best 18-match start to a season in school history, behind only the 15-3 records that the 1998 and 1999 teams put together. Andrew Sellan knocked down a team-high 12 kills, while Eddie Rivera added 10 – including the 1,000th of his career in the second set.

IPFW mentioned:John Peckinpaugh has been named men's basketball coach at Indiana Tech, the university announced today. Peckinpaugh had been an assistant at the university during the 2012-13 season, and this past year had been a graduate assistant at IPFW, Indiana Tech said in a statement.